Wire stretching and tying machine



July 3, 1.923.

A. J. GERRARD WIRE STRETCHING AND TYING DEVICE Original Filed March 13 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 flZecJGerra/rd, by

WIRE STRETCHING AND TYING DEVICE Original Filed March 13 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 attorney Patented m a, 1923.

UNITED STATES 1,460,649 PATENT orrlcs.

ALEC J. GER/HARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WIRE STRETCHING AND TYING MACHINE.

- Continuation of application Seriai No. 282,390, filed March 13, 1919. This application filed May 13, 1920.

Serial No; 381,165.

To all whom it may concern: 6

Be it known that I, 'ALno J. Grimm, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Stretching and Tying Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

.This invention relates to wire tying machines and has for its object to provide a portable machine of this character which will be comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and more efiicient in action than those heretofore proposed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

This application is a continuation of my copending application Sr. No. 282,390, filed March 13, 1919, and entitled Wire stretching and tying device.

Referring to the accompanyin drawings forming a part of this spec' cation, in which like numerals design-ate like parts in all the views Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a machine made in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view partly in section of the parts shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of ortion of the parts shown in Figure 1; igure 4 is an end elev-ational view partly in section of the parts shown in Figure 3,

after the wire twisting operation has been completed;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the wire clamping means;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the wire twisting parts removed from the machine; and

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the character of the knot tied by this machine.

1 indicates any suitable framework but preferably in the form shown, and provided with the smooth flat bottom 2, and rearward extensions 3. Carried by the frame 1 is a boss, or enlargement 4, in which is journalled the main. operating shaft 5, carrying at one end the socket or hub 6 to which is fitted the operating lever 7, as shown. Secured to the other end of the shaft as by the nut and washer 8 is the main operating gear wheel 9, located next to 'the semi-circular flange or guard 10 with which said boss 4 is provided. J Meshing with the said gear 9 is the operating gear or driving gear 11 mounted on the shaft 12, and meshing with said gear 11 is the wire twisting pinion 13, provided with the slot 14, which pinion is provided with the slotted hubs or extensions 15, and is located as close to the surface 2 as possible.

The said frame 1 is recessed or cut out, as indicated at 16, in order to receive the members 17 and 18, respectively provided with the tapered forward projections 19 and 20, having the slots or recesses 21, in which are fitted the fingers 22 and 23. Said fingers 22 and 23 are respectively provided with the wire holding slots 24 and 25, and said'members 17 and 18 are respectively provided with the wire receiving slots 26 and 27 .as shown, and are conveniently held in place by the screw bolts 27 passing through the holes 28 as will be clear from Figures 3 and 6. Also integral with the frame 1 is the lug or boss 30, in which is mounted the short shaft 31 carrying the lever 32 and the cam 33 provided with the pin 34. Secured to said boss as at 35 is a plate 36, and between said plate and boss is slidably fitted the wire clamping dog 37, having the serrations or teeth 38 as shown. Said plate 36 is slotted at 39, and a pin carried by the dog 37 moves up and down in said slot under the influence of the spring 41, one end of which is attached to said pin 40, while the other end is attached to the pin 34, all as will'be clear from Figures 1 and 5.

An anvil is secured to the frame 1, and is Preferably provided with a V-shaped slot 46 located in line with the teeth 38. Also secured to the frame 1 as at 48, see Figure 4, is the wire holding member 49 havin the slot 50, to accommodate the pin 51, an provided with the wire holding slot 52 as shown.

Said frame 1 is still further provided with the vertically disposed boss 55 having the fiat under surface 56, and in said boss is rotatably and slidably mounted the wire tensioning member 58 having the wire receiving slot 59,.the vertically disposed slots 60, and the head portion 61 around which fits the pawl and ratchet lever 62 in the manner well known. Said slots are successively entered by the holding tooth 63 of the pawl 64 pivoted at and controlled by the spring 66.

The operation of this machine is as fol lows :The fiat bottom 2 of the machine being placed on fiat down on top of the box or package to be wired, one end 7 O of the binding wire is laced beneath the serrations or teeth 38 an in the V-shaped slot 46 of the anvil 45, whereupon the lever 32 is operated to turn the cam 33 which depresses the clamping dog 37 against the tension of the spring 41. The bight 71 of the wire is successively now passed into the 'slots 24, 26, 14,

27, and 25 past the tensionin member 58, over the to of the package own the side thereof, un er the bottom, up the other s1de and back into the slot 52 of the hook 49,

whereupon the wire becomes bight 72 and leads past the anvil 45 into the slots 24, 26,

14, 27 and 25 and thence into the slot of the .tensioning member 58.

The pawl and ratchet lever 62 is nowoperated to turn said tensioning member to put any desired strain on the wire, and the pawl 64 holds the wire 'under said strain.

The slots 24, 14, and 25 are only of a width canal to the diameter of the wire to be twiste 3 so that the bights 71 and 72 cannot turn therein, although they can be rotated around the axis of the pinion 13 by means of slots 26 and 27, being wide enough to permit such rotation. It v therefore follows that after said wire has been tensioned in the manner just described, the lever 7 may be thrown through an angle of say 180 whereupon a number of twists will be put into said bights 71 and 72, dependin upon the particular ratio of gearing that as been adopted in the gear train, and a knot will be tied o-r twisted importance that said slot 14 be in register with its companion slots at the end of the operation, for otherwise the twisted knot could not be easily removed from the machine. Accordingly, it is an important feature of this invention that I provide the hub 75 of the socket member 6 with the stop lugs 76 and 77 adapted to take respectively against the stops 78 and 79. That is to say, when the lug 76 is in contact with its coacting member 78,,the operator knows that the slot 14 registers with its companion slots and he knows the same thing when the lug 77 is in contact with its companion lug 79. Stated in other language, the operator may carelessly and quickly throw the lever 7 into the position shown in Figure 3, whereupon he may proceed without looking, tq thread thev bights 71 and 72 into the slots mentioned, and immediately after the tensioning operation he may violently throw said lever 7 from the position shown in. Figure 3 past that shown in Figure 4, whereupon the spring piston80 and spring 81 will take up the shock and the slot 14 and bights of wire will be carried somewhat beyond their theoretical limits of travel to insure that all slack has been taken up and a perfect knot tied.

As soon as the pressure on the lever 7 has been relieved, however, the spring 81 will bring the parts to the positions shown in Figure 4, whereupon the operator knows the slot 14 registers with its coacting slots and that therefore the wire can be disengaged from the machine.

After thus releasing the said lever 7, the lever 62 may be grasped and the tensioning member 58 vertically raised until the bight 72 is stripped therefrom by contacting with the surface 56. After this is done, a slight motion will disengage the machine from the tied wire.

Another important feature of this invention resides in the aprons or forward projections 19 and 20, which not only serve to facilitate the removal of the machine from the tied wire, and to guide the bights 71 and 72 into place, but since they project well be 0nd the frame proper, as indicated, they a so constitute extensions to prevent the machine from tilting forward during the wire twisting operation.

The extensions 3 of the frame in the same way constitute means for preventing the machine from tilting backward These two sets of oppositely disposed extensions projecting well beyond the frame proper enable me to place the operating shaft at the side or end of the machine, where it is very convenient to operate.

Another important feature is attained by bringing the slot 59 very close to the top surface 85 of the package being wired, for I am thus enabled to avoid a considerable slack in the wire. The stop 79 is made adtion resides in the adjustable stops 78 and 79, Figure 4, for when the lever 7 is thrown to the right as shown in Figure 3, the stop 79 insures that the slots 24 and 25 in the .frame and the slot 14 in the pinion 13, are brought into register as above stated, While and spring 81 permits the pinion slot 14 to slightly over-twist the bights 71 and 72,

or to pass a predetermined distance beyond its registering osition with the slots 24 and 25, just be ore the completion of the twisting operation. This overtwisting of the bights 71 and 72 to a predetermined degree permits the natural tendency of said bights to untwist, after the completion of the twisting operation, to bring the slot 14 back into register with the slots 24 and 25,

and thus is the removal of the knot from the machine facilitated.

It will thus be seen that this machine has a maximum lightness so it can be readily removed by hand from one package to another or to different places on the same package; its ruggedness is such that it stands sudden and heavy operations of the levers 7 and 62 with impunity, so that a maximum of speed is attained, and its oppositely disposed extensions 3 and 19 and 20 steady it during such movements.

In fact, the knot shown in Figure 7 can be tied in a small fraction ofa minute, while the spring 81 takes up the shock and the spring 41 releases the end of the wire.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction as well as the arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

What I claim is 1. In a portable wire twisting machine, the combination of a frame provided with a slot; rearwardly extending means rigid with said frame; forwardly extending means rigid with said frame; a wire twisting means having a slot adapted to register with the slotof said frame and disposed between said first and second named means, said first and second named means having dimensions adapted to prevent the machine from tilting during its operation and said second named means being provided with a tapered surface forming a continuation of one side of the slot with which said frame is provided and adapted to facilitate the placing of the wires to be twisted in said first and second named slots, substantially as described.

2. In a portable wire twisting machine, the combination of a frame provided with a pair of slots; rearwardly extending means rigid with said frame; forwardly extending means rigid with said frame; a wire twisting means having a slot adapted to register with the slots of said frame and disposed between said first and second named means, said first and second named means having dimensions adapted to prevent the machine from tilting during its operation and said second named means being provided with a tapered surface forming a continuation'of one side of the slot with which said frame is provided and adapted to facilitate the placing of the wires to be twisted in said first and second named slots; and an operating shaft for sald wire twisting means, substantially as described.

3. In a portable wire twisting machine, the combination of a frame having a slot; forwardly extendingv means of dimensions sufiicient to prevent the machine from tilt- 1 ing durin its operation and having an inclined surace forming a continuation of one of the walls of said slot; rearwardly extending means; a rotatable twisting pinion disposed between said first and second named means having a slot adapted to register with said first named slot means to rotate said pinion; and means to stop the rotation of said pinion at a predetermined point. substantially as described.

4, In a portable wire twisting machine, the combination of a frame having a slot; forwardly extending means of dimensions sufficient to prevent the machine from tilt ing during its operation and having an inclined surface forming a continuation of one of the walls of said slot; rearwardly extending means; a rotatable twisting pinion dis posed between said first and second named means having a slot adapted to register with said first named slot means to rotate said pinion; means to tension the wire before the twisting operation; and adjustable means to stop the rotation of said pinion at a predetermined point. substantially as described.

5. In a portable wire twisting machine the combination of a frame having a smooth bottom; rearwardly extending means rigid with said frame; tapered forwardly extending means rigid with said frame; a pair of stops located between said two sets of means; a main operating shaft provided with lugs adapted to contact with said stops; and a wire twisting means adapted to be operated by said shaft. substantially as described.

6. In a portable wire twisting machine the combination of a frame having a smooth bottom; rearwardly extending means rigid with said frame; tapered forwardly extending means rigid with said frame; a pair of stops one of which is ,adjustable located between said two sets of means; a main operating shaft provided with lugs adapted to contact with said stops; and a wire twisting means comprising a slotted wire twisting pinion, adapted to be operated by said shaft, substantially as described.

7. In a portable wire twisting machine, the combination of a frame having a smooth bottom: rearwardly extending means rigid with said frame; tapered forwardly extending means rigid with said frame; a pair of stops one of which is adjustable, and one of which is spring cushioned located between said two sets of means; a main operating. shaft provided with lugs adapted to contact with said stops; and a wire twisting means comprising a plurality of slots in alignment and a slotted wire twisting pinion, adapted to be operated by said she substantially as described.

8. In a wire twisting machine the combination of a frame having a smooth bottom; rearwardly extending means rigid with said frame; tapered forwardly extending means rigid with said frame; a pair of stops located between said two sets .of means; a main operating shaft provided with lugs adapted to contact with said stops; a spring controlled wire gripping dog; a wire tensioning member; and a wire twisting means adapted to be operated by said shaft, substantially as described.

9. In a wire twistin machine the combination of a frame having a smooth bottom; rearwardly extending means rigid with said frame; tapered forwardly extending means rigid with said frame; a palr of stops located between said two sets of means; a main operating shaft provided with lugs adapted to contact with said stops; a spring controlled wire gripping dog; a cam for actuating said dog; a slotted rotatable and vertically movable wire tensioning member; means for actuating said member; and a wire twisting means adapted to be operated by said shaft, substantially as described.

10. In a portable wire twisting machine the combination of a frame; a slotted wire twisting pinion mounted in said frame; a plurality of wire holding slots w1th which said slotted pinion coacts; means for rotating said pinion; a plurality of stops for limiting the movements of sald plnion rotating means; a slidable spring controlled dog for holding one end of the wire; a slidable and rotating means for tensioning said wire; and a hook means for holding a bight of the wire in said slots, substantially as described.

11. In a portable wire twisting machine the combination of a frame; a slotted wire twisting pinion mounted in said frame; a plurality of wire holding slots with which said slotted pinion coacts; means for rotating said pinion; a plurality of stops for limiting the movements of said pinion ro tating means; a slidable spring controlled dog for holding one end of the wire; tapered forwardly extending means rigid with said frame to prevent the latter from tilting during the wire twisting operation; a plurality of rearwardly extending means rigid with said frame; a slidable and rotating means for tensioning said wire; and a hook means for holding a bight of the wire in said slots, substantially as described.

12. In a wire twisting machine the combination of a recessed frame; a pair of guide members provided with slots'and with forwardly extending means fitting said rd frame; a pair of strips rigid with said guide members proyided with wire "holding slots; a slotted pinion mounted in said members;

means for rotatin said pinion a cam ac tuated wire gripping do 13. In'a wire twisting and tensioning ma chine the combination of a frame; a wire twisting means carried by said frame; a

an "stops for; limiting the movements 0 said pinion 'actuating means, substantially as described.-*'

frame; a vertically movable spring con-.

trolled wire gripping means coacting with said anvil; a pair of removable guide members fittting said recessed frame and provided with slotted removable strips; a slotted wire twisting pinion mounted in said guide members; means to operate said pinion; and means for holding a bight of the wire in po sition preliminar to the twisting operation, substantially as escribed.

15. In a wire tying machine the combination of a frame provided with a plurality of fixed slots in register with each other for holding a pair of bights of the wire to be twisted; a pinion provided with a slot for twisting said bights together adapted to register with said slots; means for rotating said pinion; and guiding stop means for permitting the slot of said pinion to move slightly beyond its registering position and for restoring it back to said position at the end of the twisting operation, substantially as described.

16. In a portable wire twisting machine the combination of means comprising a frame having a slot to hold two oppositely extending bights of a wire in position to be twisted together; a rotatable wire twistin pinion having a slot adapted to register witfi said first named slot when the twisting operation is completed; means to rotate said pinion; and a stop for said last named means adapted to permit said pinion slot to pass said firstnamed slot a predetermined distance immediately before the completion of the twisting operation, substantially as described.

17. In a portable wire twisting machine the combination of a frame havi a slot to receive parallel disposed bights 0 a wire; a pinion having a slot normally in register with said first mentioned slot and adapted when turned to twist together said bights;

means to rotate said pinion; and means to named slot to return to its normal registerstop the action of said last named means afing position with said first named slot, sub- 1 ter said bights have been twisted together stantially as described.

5 and after the second named slot has passed In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

the first named slot a predetermined distance, whereby the natural tendency of said ALEC J. GERRARD.

bights to untwist may cause said second 

